Victorious(20)

“I wish you could have everything you want and have me, too. Remember when we first met, and I tried to describe the downside to celebrity? This is it.”

“There’s something else…”

“What’s that?”

“The foundation. Ever since you asked me to be part of that, it’s all I seem to think about when I’m not thinking about you and everything that’s happened with us. I’m so excited to be involved with such a worthwhile cause, and as much as I wish I could return to my classroom, being part of the effort to address childhood hunger in this country is so exciting.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I knew I was asking the right person to head up this effort. You should also know that my management team has been overrun with inquiries as to whether you’re interested in modeling, acting and a wide variety of other offers, including interview requests from every major name you can think of.”

“No way.”

“Yes way. I told you you’d be in hot demand after the interview with Carolyn.”

“Wow. They really want me to model? What do I know about that?”

“They love your look, and I can’t say I blame them. I do, too. I can have my manager, Danielle, send over the most interesting offers, and you can take a look.”

“I don’t know about that, Flynn. Show business is your thing, not mine.”

I shrug. “It can be your business, too, if that’s what you want. You don’t have to decide anything right away. Focus on the foundation for now, and see what happens.”

“I suppose I could do that. It’s so weird that people know who I am and are interested in me. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“You’ve got the rest of your life to get used to it. Take all the time you need.” I kiss her forehead and then her cheek. “Is it okay to say that I’m thrilled and relieved that we won’t be spending any time on opposite coasts?”

“It’s okay to say that,” she says with a smile. “I’m relieved, too.”

“So you’re going to tell the school you’re declining their offer to return?”

Nodding, she says, “I’ll write to each of my students and explain why I’m not coming back and give them our address so they can write to me. That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

“We can’t give out our actual address, but I have a PO box you can use.”

“That’ll work.” She eyes me with excitement and anticipation. “So does this mean I’m officially moving to LA?”

“Eventually. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re somewhat snowed in for the time being.” I nod to the windows, where the driving snow is highlighted by the orange glow of security lights from an adjacent building. “We’re not going anywhere for the next day or two.”

She runs her finger up the inside of my thigh, sparking an immediate reaction. “Whatever will we do with all that time?”

“Well, I’ve got that drawer full of movies and the tub you love so much.”

Turning so she can see me, she takes a good long look to gauge whether I’m serious. “I’ll admit to being confused.”

“I’ll admit to being incredibly aroused by the fact that you’re so eager to proceed with our plans. I can’t f*cking wait to play with you. But before we do that, we need to talk to someone about whether it’s a good idea in light of what you’ve been through in the past.”

“I’m fine, Flynn. I talked to Doctor Bancroft last week.”

This is news to me. “You didn’t know the full picture last week.”

“But still, we talked about sex… and everything.”

I would give everything I have to know how that conversation went down. “You talked about kinky sex? About dominance and submission and everything that goes with those things?”

“Well, no, but—”

“No buts, sweetheart. We have to be certain it won’t set you back before we try it. I have to be certain of that. We need to see your Doctor Bancroft or someone else who specializes in PTSD and sexual assault counseling.”

“He does both those things, which is why the court sent me to him.”

“You’re already familiar with him, so I’d be fine with talking to him.”

She glances up at me, seeming to gauge my sincerity. “You’re very… private… about this part of your life, so private you didn’t even tell me. You’re really willing to talk to a stranger about it?”

“If it means being confident that you can truly handle what we’re considering, then yes, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. We’ve got to figure that we’ve met our quota of disreputable professionals for this lifetime with Rogers.”

“True. I know Curt very well. We can trust him. He saved my life, Flynn. There’s no way I’d be sitting here talking to you, capable of this relationship, without him.”

“Then I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. Will you reach out to him and set up a time when we can talk to him?”

“Yes, I will, and thank you for being so concerned about me.”

“I’m very concerned about you.”

“I’ll text Curt now and see if he can talk to us tomorrow.”